Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Record Your Memories with Vintage Vinyl Journals—the Perfect Gift for Writers and Music Lovers

Posted by Angela at 1:30 AM

“To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.” –Truman Capote

As an avid journaler, I’m always on the lookout for the perfect notebook to pen my prose. I’ve tried everything from plain old composition books to fancy leather bound journals in hopes that the physical paper pages of a book will inspire me to write. (We writers need constant motivation, don’t we?) But I find that if a journal is too pristine and stuffy then I lose the inspiration to write. My perfect journal has to have that unique balance of size, paper feel and weight, and a certain je ne sais quoi. Oh, and the cover . . . the cover must fit my personal style.

Sound like a tall order? I thought so, too, until I received what I consider the perfect gift!

Vintage Vinyl Journals are beautiful, handcrafted notebooks made from recycled materials. Indulge in a bit of nostalgia and flashback to a time when vinyl was king. I can still remember listening to my favorite records with girlfriends—the soft pop and crackle of the needle finding its groove, the light hiss, and the exquisite sound, full of richness and warmth—as we gossiped about the latest and vied for the next turn on the turntable. The front and back covers of these journals are actually made from old albums. Show your uniqueness by picking out your favorite artist or album and truly making it your own. You can search VintageVinylJournals.com by clicking the GENRES tab and pulling up the music you like. For instance, my rockin’ Fleetwood Mac Rumours journal (pictured below), featuring the fabulously witchy Stevie Nicks with popular hits such as “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way,” is under the genre of Rock/Classic Rock. There’s also a category for Female and Indie/Alternative. And if you’re really going to listen to the music on the cover of your journal while you write in it, fellow scribes will respect the Jazz and Soundtracks genres—there’s a bountiful selection of background music you will need to get the job done.

So what can you do with these journals?

I’m both an artist and a writer, so I love the freedom and rebellious nature of coloring outside the lines. The pages are blank and ready for your own words or creative aspirations. Each journal contains 220 high-quality pages measuring 7 7/8” x 7 1/2” on 70 lb. acid-free paper. They’re eco-friendly, sustainable, and you can feel great about you’re doing—after all, you just rescued a record from a landfill!

Here are some ideas for using these journals:

Writing prompts

Art journal

Character traits

Novel inspiration

Vision board book

Scrapbook

Travel journal

Gifts

That’s not all—there’s plenty more you can do. Use a bit of creativity and check out the suggestions on VintageVinylJournals.com.

So now you probably want to jam over to the site and check out all they have to offer (I’ll be joining you!), but let me tell you about my homegirl, Katie Pietrak—the amazing owner of Vintage Vinyl Journals and her special offer for WOW readers.

As a music enthusiast and craft hobbyist, Katie was organizing her own record collection one afternoon—a collection of thousands of albums she started amassing when she was fifteen—when something clicked. Why not take these beautiful albums and make them into notebooks?

Since launching in 2011, Vintage Vinyl Journals are sold on their website; in over two dozen retail stores; and at local art, craft, and music festivals. They are a member of the Green Business network and have been certified Silver with Green America. The offices based in Pennsylvania have also been certified green.

They have tons of wonderful reviews and have been featured in many newspapers, TV shows, websites, and blogs—including a recent feature on Ty Pennington’s website.

Katie is an awesome success story, and she has a special coupon for you!

WOW! Women on Writing readers: use coupon code WOW!5 for $5.00 off each journal. Coupon code expires 12/4/12. Learn more about Vintage Vinyl Journals, and find an inventory of over 500 journals online: www.vintagevinyljournals.com